“Eh? . . .  A plan? . . .  No, I guess not. . . .  No, I ain’t. . . .  What is it?”

“What is it?  How do you know you ain’t seen it if you don’t know what it is?”

“Eh? . . .  I don’t, I guess likely.”

“Say, you’re a queer duck, it strikes me.  What are you up to?  What are you doin’ here, anyway?”

Jed took the cover from the kettle and stirred the fragrant, bubbling mass with a long-handled spoon.

“About done,” he mused, slowly.  “Just . . . about . . . done.  Give her two minutes more for luck and then. . . .”

But his visitor was becoming impatient.  “Are you deaf or are you tryin’ to get my goat?” he demanded.  “Because if you are you’re pretty close to doin’ it, I’ll tell you that.  You answer when I speak to you; understand?  What are you doin’ here?”

His tone was so loud and emphatic that even Mr. Winslow could not help but hear and understand.  He looked up, vaguely troubled.

“I—­I hope you’ll excuse me, Mister,” he stammered.  “I’m afraid I haven’t been payin’ attention the way I’d ought to.  You see, I’m makin’ a chowder here and it’s just about got to the place where you can’t—­”

“Look here, you,” began his questioner, but he was interrupted in his turn.  Over the edge of the bank came a young man in the khaki uniform of the United States Army.  He was an officer, a second lieutenant, and a very young and very new second lieutenant at that.  His face was white and he seemed much agitated.

“What’s the matter here?” he demanded.  Then, seeing Jed for the first time, he asked:  “Who is this man and what is he doing here?”

“That’s just what I was askin’ him, sir,” blustered the workman.  “I found him here with this fire goin’ and I asked him who he was and what he was doin’.  I asked him first if he’d seen the plan—­”

“Had he?” broke in the young officer, eagerly.  Then, addressing Jed, he said:  “Have you seen anything of the plan?”

Jed slowly shook his head.  “I don’t know’s I know what you mean by a plan,” he explained.  “I ain’t been here very long.  I just—­ My soul and body!”

He snatched the kettle from the fire, took off the cover, sniffed anxiously, and then added, with a sigh of relief, “Whew!  I declare I thought I smelt it burnin’.  Saved it just in time.  Whew!”

The lieutenant looked at Jed and then at the workman.  The latter shook his head.

“Don’t ask me, sir,” he said.  “That’s the way he’s been actin’ ever since I struck here.  Either he’s batty or else he’s pretendin’ to be, one or the other.  Look here, Rube!” he roared at the top of his lungs, “can the cheap talk and answer the lieutenant’s questions or you’ll get into trouble.  D’ye hear?”

Jed looked up at him.  “I’m pretty nigh sure I should hear if you whispered a little louder,” he said, gently.